B.Sc. (Biotechnology) Plant and Animal Biotechnology Syllabus - Mumbai University 2026
This is the TY BSc Biotechnology syllabus under NEP 2020, in force from the academic year 2026-27. The University still examines the earlier Choice Based papers alongside it — her third-year office registers name that scheme — so check which scheme your exam form names before you revise.
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Syllabus for Plant and Animal Biotechnology
Module I: Plant Biotechnology
- 1 Plant tissue culture media : Culture media. (2 Lecture)
- 2 Organ, callus and cell suspension cultures : (3 Lectures)
- a Organ culture : Definition, Importance and types of organ culture.
- b Callus culture : Definition, Principle of callus culture, Morphology and internal structure of callus, Micropropagation, Significance.
- c Cell suspension culture : Definition, General account, Different categories of cell suspension culture, Growth pattern in cell suspension culture, Importance of cell suspension culture.
- 3 Totipotency : Definition, Expression of totipotency, totipotent population in cell culture. (1 Lecture)
- 4 Cytodifferentiation and Organogenesis : (3 Lectures)
- a Cytodifferentiation : Definition, Primary steps in cytodifferentiation, Factors affecting cytodifferentiation.
- b Organogenesis : Definition, Factors affecting organogenesis, Applications of organogenesis.
- 5 Somatic embryogenesis & artificial seeds : Definitions - Somatic embryogenesis, Principle, Importance of somatic embryogenesis. Artificial seed (2 Lectures)
- 6 Plant protoplast culture, Protoplast fusion & somatic hybridization :
- (4 Lectures)
- a Plant protoplast culture : Definition, Principles, Action of enzymes on plant cells (cellulase, pectinase, macerozyme), Properties of isolated protoplasts, Importance of protoplast culture.
- b Protoplast fusion and somatic hybridization : Methods of protoplast fusion, Mechanisms of protoplast fusion, Hybrid identification and isolation, Post-fusion events, Cybrids, Importance of protoplast fusion and somatic hybridization.
Module II: Animal Biotechnology
- 1 Introduction to animal tissue culture : Historical landmarks, Types of tissue culture, Advantages of tissue culture, Limitations of tissue culture.
- (1 Lecture)
- 2 Media and supplements : Development of media, Physicochemical properties (pH, CO 2 and bicarbonate, buffering, oxygen, osmolality, temperature, viscosity), Balanced salt solutions, Complete media, Serum, Selection of medium and serum, Other supplements, Serum-free medium – advantages and disadvantages of serum-free medium, Replacement of
- serum, Selection of serum-free medium, Development and preparation of serum-free medium, Protein-free medium. (4 Lectures)
- 3 Aseptic techniques : Contamination - Environmental and microbial (Mycoplasma) and its eradication. (1 Lectures)
- 4 Biology of cultured cells : The culture environment, Cell adhesion, Cell proliferation, Cell differentiation, Initiation of culture, Evolution of cell lines, Development of continuous cell lines. (3 Lectures)
- 5 Primary culture, subculture and cell lines : Types of primary culture, Isolation of the tissue (chick embryo), Primary culture, Subculture. (2
- Lectures)
- 6 Cell separation : Cell density and isopycnic sedimentation, Antibody- based techniques, FACS, (3 Lecture)
- 7 Cryopreservation : Principles of cryopreservation, procedure of cryopreservation (1 Lecture)
Textbooks
- 1 Plant biotechnology : Plant Tissue Culture by Kalyan Kumar De (1997). New Central Book Agency (P) Ltd.
- 2 Animal biotechnology : Culture of Animal Cells: A Manual of Basic Technique (5th Edition, 2005) - R. Ian Freshney. Wiley.
- 1 Plant Tissue Culture: Theory and Practice by Bhojwani and Razdan (1996). Elsevier.
- 2 Cell and Tissue Culture (5th Edition, 1975) - John Paul. Churchill Livingstone.
Reproduced from the University of Mumbai syllabus for B.Sc. (Biotechnology) under NEP 2020, in force from the academic year 2026-27. Wording is as printed in that syllabus. Module numbering is as printed there too.